Weiss slowly opened her door, bag in hand as she scanned the hall. As she hoped, it was empty. Careful not to make a sound she stepped out, only to nearly scream her head when she found Klein suddenly waiting behind her.

"This way." He whispered.

The entire Schnee Mansion was dead silent. It was an eerie sort of quiet, one that was usually associated with horror movies. Perhaps that was the intention, for only at night could the presence of the estate truly be felt.

Through all of her years Weiss had never gotten used to the mansion during this time. It was the kind of place that scary stories dreamed of being set in. In fact she still remembered a few stories Natsu told her when they were younger; such as the piano that plays itself at midnight, or how the Grimm statues would come to life and roam around the halls.

Weiss knew they were just stories, but she couldn't help the uneasiness she felt. Maybe because she called the scariest monster "Father".

If he knew what she was planning not only would she be sent back to her room, she would be tied to her bed frame until she was an old woman. Maybe things wouldn't be that extreme, but she still wasn't willing to take that chance.

Weiss and Klein hurriedly descended the main staircase to the first floor. As they moved through the hall, the butler received a call on his scroll. It was from Whitley.

"Master Whitely. What can I-yes? Right now? Of course. I'll be there in a moment."

Weiss held her breath. If Whitley even had an inkling that she was outside of her room, he would tell her father and that would be that. Luckily it seemed he was none the wiser as Klein hung up.

"I'll meet you at the first floor library." He told her. "Be sure to stay quiet."

Weiss nodded and continued onward.

Passing by her father's study, the sound of crashing glass forced her to take cover behind a couch. Inside she could hear the muffled voices of her father and General Ironwood. They sounded angry.

"You need to calm down!" The General advised.

"That's rich coming from you." Her father countered. "Do you have any idea what you're saying?"

"Everything is based on the reports that your daughter gave me."

"Yes, the daughter that you stole from me!"

Ironwood rolled his eyes. "I am not going over that again."

Weiss inched closer to the door to better hear their conversation.

"Of course. How could I forget?" Her father said. "There are much more important things to discuss. Chief among them being your ever increasing lunacy!"

"Jacques!" Ironwood shouted. "Winter is one of my best soldiers. I trust her judgement above all else. If she says there is a threat in Mistral then I am believing her without question. We can't afford to take something like this lightly. She's been on reconnaissance for weeks. People are mobilizing. Then there is the sudden increase in trade with both weapons and dust. Someone is planning something and I highly doubt Leo will be able to stop them. Not that he could."

"You would know if you ever trusted anyone aside from yourself." The Schnee patriarch argued.

"I'm the only one I can trust!" Ironwood slammed his prosthetic hand on Jacques' desk, the loud bang startling Weiss outside. "If Ozpin had just listened to me. Then none of this would have happened."

Jacques leaned back in his chair slightly. He didn't like the look in the general's eyes. "You need to take a step back and calm down."

"I am calm. The people of this country need protection. Starting next week, Atlas is closing its borders." Ironwood declared. "No one comes in. No one goes out. At least not without the council's permission."

Jacques' stared daggers at Ironwood from behind his desk. He knew exactly what game the general was playing.

"The council that you control." he asserted.

"If it comes to that. Yes. So you might want to stay on my good side. Good bye, Jacques."

Weiss heard Ironwood's footsteps approach and swiftly moved away from the door. She then placed a glyph on the door.

The general tried to turn the knob, but it wouldn't move. "The door's locked." He told Jacques.

"Nonsense."

Ironwood rammed his shoulder to the door, but it still didn't budge. Knowing that wouldn't hold him for long, Weiss sped to where she was to meet Klein.

Closing Atlas' borders? That's insane. How could he do something like that?

That piece of news made Weiss' escape all the more dire. She quickly shuffled into the library, but Klein was nowhere to be found.

"Klein?" she called worriedly. "Where are you?"

One of the walls opened up to reveal a passageway and out stepped Klein.

"Keep it down, would ya?" He said, his voice surlier than usual. "I told ya I'd be 'ere."

Overjoyed, Weiss ran over and hugged him. Klein returned her hug, his gentler personality resurfacing.

"Are you sure Mistral is safe?"

"No, but Winter is there. As are Ruby and the others. If anything I can probably meet up with them find out more about where Natsu's body was taken."

"Please be safe, Miss Schnee."

"I will. Thank you, Klein. For everything."

"It has been an honor to serve you."

Suddenly a door burst open from further down the hall.

"Klein!" they heard Jacques shout. "Klein, where are you?! Get over here right now!"

"You must hurry." Klein led Weiss into the passageway and closed the door behind her.

Steeling herself, Weiss continued through the torch lit passage. At the end she found a door. Upon opening it she found herself at the edge of the family grounds.

"I've been waiting for you."

Weiss was shocked to seem Emily waiting for her with a car. The head maid smiled.

"Where to? Miss Schnee?"


Weiss watched as the pilot of the cargo ship counted the Lien she gave him. It should have been just enough to get her out of the country.

"You're sure about this?"

The heiress nodded. "Yes."

"Alright. You can hide in the cargo hold, I'll take you as far as I can, but if we're caught I can't help ya. Understand?"

"Perfectly."

"Hop in."

Weiss entered the cargo bay of the ship and sat on top of her suitcase next to one of the crates. The ship started to take off, Weiss smiling as they began soaring over the Atlesian mountains.

Don't worry, big brother. I will find you soon.


In the once desolate village of Kuroyuri a fierce battle was taking place. The Nuckelavee, a Grimm with power close to that of the Dragon, twitched as it stared down the humans that dared to oppose it. Six in total.

Fafnir Dragion didn't like this situation at all. The plan was to take the Ruby Rose and leave before the Nuckelavee had even reached town. However fate had different plans.

Tyrian and Neopolitan were both wounded in the battle with the silver-eyed girl and her friends. The former fled like the coward he was, but Neopolitan was not so lucky, sustaining an injury from Ruby Rose.

The first thing Fafnir did when the Grimm appeared was try to escape with her, but the Nuckelavee stopped him before he could take two steps. So now here he was. Standing with the enemy to save a friend.

"Are you alright, Natsu?"

No matter how many times he denied it, the group insisted on calling him that name. If he didn't need their help to defeat the Grimm he would have killed them on the spot.

"I'm fine, and I told you to quit calling me that."

"Guys, what are we going to do?" Jaune panicked, his grip tight on his sword. "That thing is moving closer."

Ren glared at the beast. It was the first time in a long while that he had been filled with such unyielding rage. Then again this was the only creature in the world that could produce such a reaction from him.

The creature's head titled over to the tree where Neopolitan and Qrow – who had started to succumb to the wound given to him earlier by Tyrian – sat.

Jaune and Pyrrha noticed this and ran to their aid. Avoiding the monster's long reach, Jaune grabbed Qrow while Pyrrha held onto Neopolitan. However, they were both too slow to escape the beast in time when it started to charge.

Thinking quickly, Ren focused his energy and pressed his hand to the ground. His aura flowed through the rocks, coating the four and turning their bodies gray. Shockingly the Nuckelavee stopped and started looking around. It was as if it couldn't see them at all.

"Get them out of here!" Ren shouted.

Jaune and Pyrrha did just that, placing the wounded against a nearby building away from the battle.

When they retruned to the fray, their comrades were doing their best to fight against the creature, but everything they tried was either countered or simply ignored.

"Hey, you bastard!"

Fafnir grabbed the monster's attention and launched a black fireball in it's direction. Once it hit he rushed in with his sword ready to strike.

"Natsu, wait!" Ruby called.

Fafnir leapt high into the air and aimed for the monster's head, but was quickly deflected by a fierce smack from the creature that sent him flying through a bridge.

"Natsu!"

"I'll go check on him!" Pyrrha volunteered and ran off.

Ren ran in next, cutting at whatever he could before the monster pushed him back as well.

"Guys! Run around in a circle!" Jaune ordered. "Try and tangle its arms."

The group did just that, circling the monster and firing their weapons. While it was distracted, Jaune moved in and sliced at its legs. When it kicked him back, Jaune briefly sheathed his sword.

"What are you doing?" Ruby questioned.

"Trying something new." Jaune drew his still sheathed sword. The scabbard extended out into a broader blade - an upgrade from the remodel - and charged again. This time his attack damaged the beast, forcing it to step back.

On the other side of town, Pyrrha found Fafnir rising from the destroyed wood of the bridge with a most irritated look on his face.

"Damn, Grimm."

"Are you alright?" She tried to help him to his feet, but he shoved her away.

"I'm fine. Don't touch me." He curtly replied. "I don't need your help."

"I know." Pyrrha admitted. "I just-"

"Why do you keep holding back?"

The sudden question caught her by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Your friends are out there fighting for their lives against that thing and you're just coasting by. You have half of the Fall Maiden's power just like Cinder don't you? Why aren't you using it?"

Pyrrha was at a loss for words. Natsu - or rather Fafnir - was right. She felt her half of the Maiden's power fighting to free itself the moment the Nuckelavee appeared. It took everything she had to keep it at bay. The last thing she wanted was for one of her friends to get hurt because she couldn't control herself.

"I hate cowards."

Those three words hit Pyrrha worse than any blow the Grimm could inflict. She could only stand there in shame as Fafnir walked past her.

"If you're not gonna take this seriously then go watch the wounded. I don't need a weakling holding me down and getting me killed."

He ran back to the battle. Leaving Pyrrha to deal with her problems on her own.

Back at the battle the Nuckelavee rapidly spun around its humanoid half. Stretching out its arms the creature knocked away Ruby and the others. Fafnir managed to slide under the attack cutting into the monster's body with his sword.

When the monster raised its leg to stomp on him. Jaune shoved him out of the way.

"What the hell are you doing?" Fafnir demanded. "I could have handled it."

"A thank you would have been nice." JNPR's leader muttered. "Where's Pyrrha?"

Before Fafnir could answer the protrusions on the Nuckelavee's back began to extend outward. It let out an ear-piercing scream, forcing Ruby, Jaune, and Fafnir to cover their ears.

"Someone shut that thing up!" Fafnir yelled. His ears were starting to bleed.

Ren – unaffected by the deathly wails – fired his StormFlower pistols from a nearby tree. The beast reached out to him, pinning him against the side of a building with its massive claws. Unable to free himself, the beast prepared to finish Ren off.

"Ruby!" Nora called. The two prepared to save Ren when Fafnir ran by.

"You're too slow!"

He jumped into the path of the monster's claw.

DARK DRAGON SCYTHE

His leg coated in black flames he succeeded in kicking the claw away from Ren, but quickly found himself grabbed next.

The monster slammed Fafnir against the ground numerous times, his bones starting to ache from the impact. It then threw him into Nora, the collision nullifying critically weakening the latter's aura.

Livid at the sight, Ren slashed at the monster's wrist in a desperate attempt to free himself. Ruby and Jaune helped by attacking the horse half. Eventually the trio succeeded and the Nuckelavee let Ren go.

As soon as Ren touched the ground he sprinted to the monster, slashing away at its limbs as they reached for him. His iron composure had long since broken. All he saw now was red.

"Ren, stop!" Jaune shouted. If this kept going he was going to get himself killed.

Ren pressed on with his suicidal attacks. Soon enough the Grimm grew tired of him and swatted him to where Nora and Fafnir landed.

Fafnir re-entered the battle without a second thought, leaving Ren and Nora to fend for themselves. Ren started to join him when Nora suddenly tackled him under a nearby house. From there they watched as their friends struggled against the beast. They were fighting a losing battle. It wouldn't be long before they were victims as well.

Ren could take no more. He tried to leave, only to be immediately pulled back by Nora.

"What are you doing?!" He demanded. "Let me go!" he tried to break free but Nora's strength was proving much superior to his own. "Do you want our friends to die?! Because that's what will happen if we don't-"

Without warning Nora slapped him, silencing his protests.

Stunned at what just happened, Ren finally started to calm down. He faced her properly. Nora was on her knees, her eyes downcast as she spoke.

"I am not going to let you go out there and kill yourself. After all we've been through. I refuse for it to end like this."

When Ren looked at Nora, he saw that scared little girl he had met under a house like this all those years ago. When he blinked he was brought to the present, though the tears were still present in her eyes. With this Ren finally understood.

He had been so foolish before. He wasn't fighting out of a need to protect his friends, he was fighting because he was scared and angry. He had become that scared kid hiding while his village was destroyed.

He reached into his boot and pulled out a small curved dagger. It had been given to him by his father just before the Nuckelavee took his life. It was the only thing he had to remember his family by. How would they feel if they saw him now?

Unsure of what to do, he started to find his answer when Nora closed his hand around the handle of the dagger. Her eyes – now free of tears – shone with a brilliant resolve.

"Let's take it down."

Ren nodded and they rejoined their exhausted friends.

"This damn thing just won't go down." Fafnir grimaced. He was getting angrier by the second. The longer he spent here the more time Neo spent in pain.

"I don't know how much longer we can last, guys." Jaune pointed out.

"What are we going to do?" Ruby implored.

Just then a javelin of fire descended from the sky, crashing landed on top of the Nuckelavee. The Grimm shrieked in pain as its body burned.

"What was that?!" Nora shouted.

"Look!" Jaune directed everyone's attention to the sky. There was a figure floating in air. It was Pyrrha.

Fafnir smirked. "Finally."

"I'm sorry I'm late." She apologized. "I still can't fully control the power." She fired another javelin the monster's way, her body aching from the strain. "This is I can muster for now. Please tell me you all have some sort of plan."

Her right eye glowing bright, Pyrrha fired another fire javelin after javelin. Each one slightly weaker than the last. When she started to waiver Fafnir held her up.

"You can't get tired yet."

"Natsu…" she smiled softly.

"I keep telling you that's not my name."

He inhaled.

DARK DRAGON HOWL

He unleashed a torrent of black flames from his mouth, mixing it with Pyrrha's own flames. The combined blaze wounded the creature further.

"Jaune and I will pin its arms!" Ruby announced.

"I'll worry about the horse." Nora declared.

Ren looked to his father's dagger. "I'll finish the rest."

"Then hurry it up! We can't do this forever!" Fafnir shouted.

"Let's go!"

At Jaune's order the other four split off.

Ruby darted from rooftop to rooftop keeping herself just out of the creature's reach before stabbing her scythe in its hand and pinning it to the ground.

Jaune readied his blade and faced the beast next. The Nuckelavee shot its free hand through the flames towards him. Ren intercepted, using Jaune's shield to hold the claw down.

"Do it!"

Jaune stabbed his sword through the creature's wrist and holding it down just like Ruby did.

"Nora!"

Perched on top of a tower, Nora stepped off. Falling like an electrified meteor, she smashed the horse half of the Grimm into the dirt with Magnhild, incapacitating it. Fafnir and Pyrrha's flames dissipated soon after, both of them falling to a knee in exhaustion.

Ren methodically paced around to the front of the creature. Unable to move, the Nuckelavee could only howl in the young man's face in a vain attempt to scare him. Ren readied his dagger.

For my mother.

He sliced off the creature's right arm.

For my father.

Next to go was the left.

For all the lives that you've taken.

He cut into the beast's chest.

"And finally, for myself!"

With once quick slice the Nuckelavee's head was gone. Its body slowly began to disintegrate and black smoke rose into the sky above. The long battle was finally over.

"You did it!" Nora dove into Ren's arms laughing as they fell to the ground.

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed his sword. He saw Pyrrha sitting on the ground and helped her up while Ruby went to check on Qrow.

"You alright?"

"Yes. Just a little tired."

"You were amazing out there." he smiled.

"Thank you. I still have much to learn." She looked at her hand. She could still feel the rush the Maiden's power. "But I'm not afraid anymore."

Jaune heard what sounded like propellers spinning in the distance and looked to the sky with the others. They all watched in awe as two airships with the Mistral emblem landed in the center of the village.

"Look, Uncle Qrow." Ruby happily pointed to the ships. "Don't worry. We'll get you to a doctor soon."

"Lucky me." He joked with a pained smile.

After an explanation of the situation, the crew loaded Ruby and the others onto the airship.

"Wait." Pyrrha said urgently. "Where's Natsu?"

"I don't know." Ruby answered. "He was just here."

"There." Ren pointed.

Natsu stood not too far from the airship, the wounded Neopolitan cradled in his arms.

"Natsu, what are you doing?!" Ruby shouted.

"We're about to take off!" Jaune reminded.

"You guys helped me protect, Neo. So I'll let you go this time." He said. "But the next time we meet I'm taking you all down, and Ruby Rose is coming with me."

"What are you talking about?!" Ruby questioned.

"Hurry up and get on!" Jaune shouted.

Fafnir turned his back to them and ran in the other direction.

"Where is he going?" Nora panicked.

The airship began to lift from the ground. Pyrrha started to move to the door.

"What are you doing?" Ren questioned.

"I'm going after him." she informed.

Jaune held her back. "You can't, Pyrrha! We're already taking off! You'll fall!"

"Let me go, Jaune!" she frantically thrashed in the blonde's grip. "I'm not leaving without him!"

"You can't!"

"I said let me go!"

The airship started to violently shake about.

"What's going on?!" Ruby yelled.

"It's Pyrrha!" Ren deduced. "She using her semblance to keep the ship in place."

"Pyrrha, stop!" Jaune hollered. "Let him go! We'll find him again!"

"You don't know that!" she argued. "He's right there in front of us! He's alive! I refuse to let him go again! So let me go!"

Her eye started to glow, but before she could do anymore damage, Ren knocked her out with a swift chop to the back of her neck. Unconscious, she fell on top of Jaune as the plane began to steady itself.

"Ren, what did you do that for?!"

"I'm sorry, but I had no other choice." He bowed his head in apology. "She was out of control. Any longer and she would have killed us all."

"Can you blame her?" Nora asked sadly. "I mean we're all shocked to see Natsu alive again, but not like this. What happened to him? Why did was he working with those people? Why didn't he recognize us?"

"I don't know, but right now we can only focus on one thing at a time."

"Ren's right." Jaune said. He placed Pyrrha next to Qrow. "Once we get to Mistral we can plan our next move."

As the air ship rose higher and higher into the air along with the sun, Ruby tightly clutched Crescent Rose to her body.

Natsu...


Sun's eyes slowly opened to the light of the office. He was sore all over, but the pain mostly gathered in his left shoulder, right at the spot Illia attacked. He had no idea how long he had been out, but judging from the weary state of Blake – who was sitting in the arm chair next to couch he laid on – it was longer than he would have liked.

"What happened?" he groaned.

"Do you see now?" Blake asked shakily. "This is why I abandoned them all. This is why I ran away. I'm done seeing people I care about hurt because of my actions."

Sun started to sit up. "Blake, I-"

"Quiet!" she shouted. "Do you think I want to be alone all of the time? Do you think I like running away? Not a day goes by where I don't think about them. Ruby. Yang. Weiss. They were my best friends. I loved them more than I thought I could love anyone. I hope they hate me for leaving them. Just like I know Natsu hates me for letting him die."

"You don't know what you're saying."

"Yes I do! Everyone keeps saying they can help me, but the truth is that they can't!" She sat down at the edge of Sun's feet. "Illia wasn't even the worst of it. But I'm done with all of it. Maybe Neon was right. Maybe everyone is better off without me around. From here on out I'll deal with the consequences of my choices on my own. No one else has to get dragged into my mess."

"You might think you're doing the right thing, but you're just being selfish." He gritted his teeth through the pain as he sat up. "I mean sure, that chameleon chick caught me off-guard, but I'd do it a hundred times over if it was to protect you. Yang would say the same thing, and so would Natsu."

Blake looked away in shame.

"You can make your own choices, but that doesn't give you the right to make ours. Your friends fight for you because they want to. Not because they have to. So stop trying to push us away. That hurts way more than any wound from an enemy."

Blake was at a loss for words. In her heart she knew Sun was right, bit she still had a hard time accepting it.

"Just so you know, next time we go up against that Illia girl it won't be for you. I'm gonna get even." He pointed at himself, only for his shoulder to throb in pain. "Ow!"

This finally managed to make Blake giggle. "My hero."

Suddenly the door to the study fell in, revealing Blake's parents and Neon Katt.

"Sorry about that." The Atlesian Faunus apologized with a smile.

"Oh would you look at that, dear?" Kali said to an unimpressed Ghira. "He's finally awake. Isn't this wonderful?"

The chieftain pinched the bridge of his nose. It was clear their acting was less than stellar. "Honestly, you two."

"Really?" Blake was rightfully irritated with the trio and stomped to the door. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Your father needed to speak with the three of you." Her mother explained.

"That's why I'm here." Neon waved. "Sorry for eavesdropping."

Blake was confused. "What?"

The trio walked into the study, Kali taking a seat in the arm chair and Neon sitting next to Blake as Ghira stood before them all. He took out the scroll the teens confiscated from Illia and placed it on the table.

"You were right." He said finally.

"Right about what?" Blake inquired.

"Adam Taurus is staging a coup. He wants to usurp control of the White Fang from Sienna Khan and launch a full scale attack on Haven. It will be Beacon all over again."

"But why would he want to do something like that?" Neon implored.

"To instill fear." Blake revealed. "Adam wants the White Fang to be known far and wide for their power. He won't stop until every human is subjugated to his will and forced to be slaves."

"Then how do we stop him?"

"We destroy the White Fang." Sun suggested. "Once and for all."

"Is that really the way to go?" Neon questioned. She was unsure about trying to take on the organization with such few people.

"No. It's not." Blake answered, rising from her seat. "We won't destroy the White Fang. We're going to take it back."

The others smiled at this idea.

"A gran strategy." Her father complimented.

"Yes." Her mother nodded. "I wholeheartedly agree."

"Sounds awesome." Sun grinned.

"Count me in!" Neon chirped. "It sounds dangerous, but the fun kind of dangerous!"

Blake smiled warmly at her friends and her family. She was glad they supported her decision. "Thank you, everyone."

"You don't have to thank us, honey." Her mother assured. "We're always here to help. Now who's hungry? I just finished making lunch."

"Oh me! Me!" Sun raised his hand. "I'm starving!"

Kali giggled. "I imagine you are. Eat as much as you like. I made plenty."

"Thanks, Mrs. B!" Sun bounced out of the room without a care in the world, completely forgetting about his shoulder injury.

"How much longer does he have to be here?" Ghira muttered.

"Be nice." Kali hissed. "Are you coming, Blake?"

"I'll be there in a minute. I just wanted to look for something first."

"I'll stay and help you." Neon volunteered.

"No that's ok. I can-"

"Nonsense. Four eyes are better than two right?"

Realizing that she couldn't win this fight, Blake acquiesced. "Ok. You can help, but don't break anything."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Don't take too long you two." Her mother warned. "You wouldn't want your food to get cold. Or worse, let Sun eat it all."

"We won't." Blake said. When her parents were gone she started searching around the study along with Neon.

"What are we looking for?" The bubbly girl asked.

"A small black box. It shouldn't be much bigger than your head."

"What's in it?"

"I'll show you when we find it."

The two girls searched for the illusive box with nothing but an uncomfortable silence between them. They hadn't seen one another, let alone spoken since Blake told Neon about Natsu's death.

Blake was surprised when Neon aided her and Sun against Illia. She thought Neon had all but hated her guts at this point, not that she would have blamed her. Had the roles been reversed she certainly would have. Perhaps she was only being nice for appearances. They did have a common enemy after all. They both wanted Adam Taurus to face justice for what he had done.

"Is this it?"

Neon grabbed a small black and red box from under Ghira's desk and showed it to Blake.

"That's the one. Nice work. You can put it on the table."

"You got it."

Blake undid the latch on the box and slowly raised the lid.

"Hold on." Neon said.

"What is it?"

"Before you open that box I have something I want to say."

"Um…ok." Blake closed the lid and faced her.

"I just wanted to say…I'm sorry."

Blake was taken aback. "For what?"

"For flipping out on you the other day. It was totally not ok. I shouldn't have been so cruel."

"It's ok." Blake reassured. "I understand. If I was in your shoes I would have done the same thing. You really cared about Natsu, and it was my fault he died so-"

"Please stop saying that." Neon interrupted. "It's not your fault he died. The only person to blame is that Adam Taurus guy."

"But Adam was my problem." Blake asserted. "He was after me and I ran away. If I had just stayed and faced him Natsu would still be alive and Yang wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Or you could have ended up dead and what happened to those two would have still happened." Neon pointed out. "Flint told me one time that you can't always predict what's going to happen. Sometimes things just play out how they are going to play out no matter what you do. Who says Natsu still wouldn't have died?"

Blake was silenced by this morbid possibility, even more so that such a grim thought was coming from Neon. Once more she was surprised that it made sense.

"It's like Sun said, you can't make choices for your friends, and if I know Natsu – which I do – he'd do what he did a thousand more times. That's just the kind of guy he was."

A warm grin slowly carved a path onto Blake's face. "Yeah…he was."

Neon giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that you talk about how much I cared about Natsu when it's clear you had feelings for him too."

Blake's cheeks flushed red. "W-What are you talking about?!"

"You don't have to hide it." Neon teased. "I can see it in your eyes when you talk about him. That little twinkle. You loved him didn't you?"

Blake fell silent for a moment, her face getting redder and redder. She quickly looked away. "I don't know…Maybe I do...did! Maybe I did."

"I knew it." Neon boasted.

Blake's serious expression returned. "But that doesn't matter anymore. Natsu's dead, and nothing will bring him back."

Neon's mood fell as well. "I know, but that doesn't mean that your feelings are any less valid. In fact I think they make you even stronger."

"What do you mean?"

Neon pointed to Blake's heart. "The feelings you have in here for Natsu and your friends. They keep pushing you forward and kept you on beat. If you didn't have them you wouldn't have come this far. I know I wouldn't have."

"My heart?" Blake didn't quite understand, but at the same time she felt Neon was telling some sort of truth.

"So let's take back the White Fang." Neon declared. "Not just for the world, but for Natsu and our friends as well."

Blake nodded with a determined smile. "You're right. Thank you, Neon."

"Anytime. Now what's in that box?"

"Something I never thought I'd see again."

Blake opened the box, revealing two flags. One was black with Adam's faction logo for the White Fang painted on it in blood red. The other – which Blake took out of the box – was blue, with the old White Fang logo emblazoned proudly in white on the cloth.


In a spacious room located deep within Salem's palace, arcs of fire could be seen lighting up a dark space.

One by one Grimm disintegrated into nothing, the brilliant flames destroying their forms as quickly as they appeared.

In the middle of this destruction was Cinder Fall.

Her body sore from constant use of her power, she struggled to stay on her feet as more Grimm circled her. Before this sort of exercise would be child's play, but ever since her encounter with Ruby Rose Cinder had trouble controlling her power for long periods of time.

Her muscles and bones were starting to burn, but she kept going. She refused to be weak again.

Four Beowolves slowly advanced towards her. With a wave of her right arm an arc of fire ride her sight of the beasts. Weary from constant battle, Cinder barely noticed the Beringel jumping towards her. With her last ounce of strength the killed the monster with her right hand, immediately collapsing to her knees afterwards.

"That's enough."

Salem glided into the room, her disappointment in her protege flowing through her gaze.

"I thought you desired power above all else." She said. "Was that a lie?"

Cinder gritted her teeth and faced her master, shaking her head in answer to her question.

"Then stop holding back. If you truly wish to master these powers you must-"

Suddenly the door to the chamber swung open, and in shambled a whimpering Tyrian.

"She will forgive me." He whined. "Please. Forgive."

He prostrated himself before his Queen.

"Tyrian." Salem addressed. "Were you able to complete your task?"

"I-"

As he started to answer the doors flew open once again, this time accompanied by an angered roar.

"CALLOWS!"

Fafnir tackled Tyrian to the floor and raised his sword to his throat.

"You bastard! I'll kill you!"

Tyrian managed to kick Fafnir away and he scurried next to Salem.

"Stop running, coward!"

"Restrain him!"

At his mother's command three Beowolves appeared and held Fafnir down.

"Let go of me!" he tried to force himself free, but to no avail.

"Fafnir, you will cease this foolishness at once."

The enraged young man started to calm down when he saw Salem looming over him, her eyes glowing. Once he was back to his senses, she ordered the Grimm off of him.

"Speak." She ordered. "What is the meaning of this?"

"He abandoned us!" Fafnir accused, pointing directly at a still frightened Tyrian. "Right in the middle of the fight he turned tail and ran like a coward!"

"Is this true, Tyrian?"

Tyrian bowed his head. "…Y-yes, my Queen."

"Were you at least able to retrieve the girl?"

Fafnir looked away. "No. She escaped."

Without another word Salem started to leave.

"But it wasn't my fault!" Fafnir argued. "Tyrian deserted us! Then the Nuckelavee showed up and-"

"I do not wish to wish to hear excuses from you, Fafnir." Salem coldly stated. "I allowed you to join this mission in hopes that you would complete it, and you failed me. There is nothing more to be said."

"But all is not lost!" Tyrian interjected. "Qrow Branwen! I wounded him. Poisoned him with my tail's stinger. He will no longer be a threat to us. I made sure of that. Have I pleased you?"

Salem stopped for a moment. "The last eye is blinded." She looked to the pair from over her shoulder. "You both disappoint me."

"Mother!" Fafnir called. "Neo is in the lab. She was injured really bad in the fight and needs help. Where's Watts?"

"Watts is completing the task I gave to him as I ordered. I told you that when you brought that girl here that she is your responsibility. If you wish to save her life then you must find a way to do that on your own." With that Salem left the chamber.

Tyrian was crushed at Salem's rejection. Bawling like a child, his mood quickly shifted from despair to hysterical when a Beowolf attempted to attack him.

Whipping the creature with what was left of his tail, he jumped on the beast stabbed into it with his claws. Cinder watched in horrified awe as Tyrian's anguished crying turned to maniacal laughter the more he stabbed the long dead Grimm.

As she thought of what to do, a loud bang caught her attention. Her eye was now focused on Fafnir. He stood next to a large hole in the wall; no doubt created in the midst of his anger. Cinder attempted to comfort her lover, but he abruptly shrugged her off.

"Leave me alone." He snapped. "I'm going to check on Neo."

He exited the chamber. Leaving behind a lonely Cinder and a crazed Tyrian.


Fafnir watched impatiently as Emerald dressed Neopolitan's wounds. She came into the lab not long after he did, stating that Cinder had sent her to check on him. Luckily she had some experience with first aid due to her time as a thief.

"Are you done yet?"

"If you want her to bleed to death then yeah. If not I suggest you sit down and be patient for once."

"Sorry." Fafnir sat back in his chair and waited for Emerald to finish.

"You really care about her don't you?"

"I told her I'd look after her in Torchwick's place. I'm not gonna break that promise."

Emerald grinned. "At least there's some of you still left in there." She murmured.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. You know if you keep playing favorites like this Cinder's gonna get jealous."

"It's not like that." Fafnir firmly denied. "Neo's like a little sister to me. Nobody takes Cinder's place."

"Nice save. There I'm all done."

Fafnir rushed to the bed, pushing Emerald out of the way in the process.

"Hey!"

"Neo? Neo?!" Fafnir called her name but she wouldn't wake up. "I thought you fixed her!"

"Calm down. She's just resting. She lost a lot of blood, but she should be fine in a couple of days."

"Thanks, Emerald."

"Don't thank me. Thank Cinder. I only did this because she asked me to."

"Well thanks anyway, and tell Cinder I'm sorry about earlier. I'll make it up to her later."

"What am I a messenger?" Emerald snarked.

"I'll owe you one."

"Fine. I'll do it, but don't try and worm your way out of this, Dragion."

"I won't."

"Then I'll be leaving." Emerald started to walk out of the room when she remembered something. "I almost forgot to ask. Do you remember anything?"

There was a heavy silence between them that was filled with the beeps of the machine Neopolitan was hooked up to. After what felt like forever, Fafnir answered.

"Remember what?"

"Never mind. It's not important. I'll see you around." She waved on her way out the door. When she stepped out into the hall she was met by Mercury.

"What's going on in there?"

"Cinder asked me to check on him." She pointed her thumb at Fafnir.

"Really? I didn't hear that."

"Why would you?" She proceeded down the hall, leaving a confused Mercury in her wake.

"What was that about?"


Qrow opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling, the light flooding into the room stinging his eyes.

"I've woken up in worse places." he groaned.

"Uncle Qrow! You're awake?!"

Before Qrow could get his bearings Ruby sprinted from the desk she was sitting at and ran to his bedside. Her eyes filled with tears as she hugged him tight.

"I was so worried about you!"

"Ow. Ow. Ok I get it. Sorry for worrying you." He tried to laugh, but he was still weak from the poison and Ruby's death grip. He looked out of the window and saw people walking through the streets. "Where are we?"

"Mistral." Ruby explained. "A ship found us in Kuroyuri and brought us here. Remember?"

"A little. My head's still spinning."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I just went ten rounds with a King Taijitu, but it's better than being dead. Where are the others?"

"In the next room. What happened in Kuroyuri? Who was that Tyrian guy? Why was he after me? Why was Natsu with him? How is he alive? Why didn't he recognize us?!"

"Whoa. Whoa. Just calm down." Qrow said. "Get the others and I'll tell you everything."

Ruby did as she was told and called Team JNPR into the room. The group gathered around Qrow's bed.

"Everybody here? Good."

Jaune raised his hand. "What's this about?"

"You'll see in a moment. I'm going to tell you kids something that is meant to be kept the utmost secret, but before I start I need to know if this is alright with you."

Qrow looked to Pyrrha. The redhead gave him a solemn nod.

"Yes. They deserve to know."

"Alright then. We'll begin with a simple question: what's your favorite fairy tale?"

With that question asked, Qrow proceeded to tell the teens about the history of the Maidens. Everyone sat on the edge of their seat as he spoke, their minds continously blown by the secrets hidden within their own world. The only one unaffected was Pyrrha. She had heard of this before the fall, but even still a small part of her found it hard to believe, even after all that had seen and experienced.

When he finally finished Qrow looked around the room. "Questions?"

"Yeah, but…it's a lot to take in." His niece answered.

"I can understand that. Take your time."

The group thought for a moment about what to say. Ruby was the first to speak up.

"So the Maidens…right?"

"Yep."

"They're strong warriors who don't need dust to use magic?"

"That's about right, yeah."

"And there are four of them?" Nora inquired.

"Usually."

"And when one of them dies the power transfers to a female that they care about?" Ren followed up.

"The last person in their thoughts." Qrow corrected. "Very important detail. Points if it's someone we can trust. If not well…let's say we wouldn't want more problems than we already have. Their souls are…I guess you could say they're combined."

Combined. Pyrrha meditated on the word. It was true that she felt a portion of Amber's spirit inside of her body when using her power, but she could also feel Cinder as well.

"The previous Fall Maiden, Amber, had been attacked. She'd had her powers for a while, but she was still somewhat inexperienced. Cinder Fall, her attacker, managed to get the jump on her and steal some of her power, but not all of it. We thought that if we didn't do something Cinder would get the rest of it."

"So you forced it on Pyrrha." Jaune accused.

"No. They didn't." The redhead denied. "I chose to accept the power."

"But why? They were just using you."

"I had to." Pyrrha stated. "It was...It was my duty." She looked away as if trying to discern if her words were true or not.

"So why was that Tyrian guy after me?" Ruby asked.

"I told you before that those silver eyes of yours are rare. Because of them you made some waves during the fall. Pissed off some pretty scary people. That's why I was watching over you, to make sure you were safe."

"Then why didn't you just tell us?" Ruby worried. "It would have been way easier than just-"

"We were bait." Jaune interjected.

"Well…" Qrow started. "It's a little more complicated than that."

"I don't understand. Ruby's being hunted. The schools are under attack. Natsu is alive. What is going on?!"

"Look, kid, just calm down. You're gonna open my wounds back up from all of this stress."

Jaune settled down, but his eyes were still narrowed at Qrow.

The wounded Huntsman sighed. "World's been around a long time, and with that time comes dozens of stories and hundreds of gods being created over the years, but if you let Ozpin tell it only two of them are the real deal. They were brothers. The older one, known as the God of Light, found joy in creating life, while the younger sibling, the God of Darkness, spent his time creating things to destroy life.

As expected of brothers they clashed on just how things should be done in the world. By day the older brother would create lakes, plants, and wild life while at night his brother would look at these creations with disgust and lay waste to them with fire, famine, drought, and whatever else he could, but it always returned the next morning. Eventually, the young brother created something that shared his desire for death and destruction."

"The Grimm." Ruby surmised.

"Right on the money, kid. Finally, the older brother could take no more and proposed that they make something that they could both be proud of. The younger brother agreed and man was created. A creature wielding the power to both create and destroy. It was also given knowledge to better know itself and the world around it, but most importantly it was given the power of choice. The ability to choose which path it would follow. Light or darkness."

"Where do we fit into all of this?" Ren inquired.

"That's where it gets interesting. The four powers: knowledge, power, destruction, and choice aren't just metaphors. They are in fact physical objects created by the Gods before they departed from the world. If someone were to gain all four, they could rule everything. Which is exactly what the enemy wants to happen.

While the academies were created to find and nurture the next generation of protectors, they serve another function as well; guarding the relics. When Ozpin's predecessor founded the schools, he built them around the relics as a fortress to make them not only easier to defend, but to see that they would always be guarded by trained warriors. The hope was that this would deter people from trying to steal them. Especially her."

"You mean Salem?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah." Qrow nodded. "We don't know much about her, but that's not important. The only thing you need to know is that she wants the relics and she's not going to stop until she gets them."

"If that's really the case, and what you say is true, then why didn't you tell anybody about it?" Jaune questioned.

"…The panic would have been too great." Pyrrha answered. "I asked the same question myself."

"She's right." Qrow added. "All of that chaos would have started another Great War, the only caveat being that now you would have to fight it."

Jaune backed down at that thought.

"I had the same concerns you all did, but Ozpin always shut me down. 'We mustn't cause a panic' he'd always say. Heard that so many times I thought I was going to go crazy. Salem's clever. She waits in the shadows, using others to do her bidding so when the blaming starts we can only look at each other. She's trying to divide humanity. Doing a damn good job too."

"Is she using Natsu as well?" Pyrrha asked, her eyes highlighting her anger.

"It's certainly possible. She knows how important he was to all of you. It was no accident that you saw him."

"Did you know he was alive?" Ruby asked.

"No. I heard rumors there was someone new out there causing trouble on her behalf, but I wouldn't guessed in a million years it was him. Usually the dead stay that way."

"How is he alive?" Ren inquired.

Qrow shrugged. "To be honest I don't know. My guess is Salem found some way to bring him back to life. For what purpose? I don't know."

"Poor Weiss." Ruby said guiltily. "She'll be devastated when she finds out." She looked to Qrow. "What do we do now?"

The elder Huntsman chuckled. "I don't know. After the attack on Beacon I'm pretty sure all the schools are on high alert. Ironwood definitely fortified Atlas' defenses and Vacuo…well it'll be a hard sell to get thieves and scoundrels to fight other thieves and scoundrels. So since we're already here, our best bet is Haven. I barely talked to the Headmaster even before the attack, but hopefully he'll be able to piece what's going on."

"What about Natsu?" Nora wondered.

"Not much we can do for him now. Chances are he went back to wherever Salem's held up. We have no idea where she is, and even if we did we're nowhere near ready to face her yet. We'll just have to wait and see if he shows up again."

No one liked that answer – especially Pyrrha and Ruby – but it was the only choice they had for now.

"Why couldn't you just tell us this before?" Ruby implored. "You could have travelled with us and explained all of this instead of keeping us in the dark. Why didn't you trust me?"

Qrow could feel the pain in his niece's eyes. "It wasn't about trust. I would have just been a liability if I got too close."

"What does that mean?" Ren asked.

"Crows. They're mostly a sign of bad luck. To most it's just silly superstition, but it's how I got my name." He grabbed his wound. It started to ache. "Some people can channel electricity, others burst into rose petals, and some can even control metal. Me? I was just born unlucky. My Semblance isn't something I can just turn off whenever I want. It's always on. Haunting me. I bring misfortune wherever I go. I guess the proper term would be a 'bad luck charm'. Not so bad when I'm fighting any enemy, but it's a different story around friends...and family."

He laid down in his bed and turned over. "Story time's over for now. I need to get some rest."

"You sure there isn't anything else you need to tell us?" Ruby prompted.

Qrow watched as a red-eyed Raven landed on the windowsill outside.

"Not now." Qrow drifted off to sleep.

"So what do we do?" Nora asked.

"We should get some rest as well." Ren suggested.

"Yeah." Jaune followed the pair out of the room. "You coming, Pyrrha?"

"You all go on ahead." She smiled. "I need to get some air."

"Alright."

Pyrrha left Ruby and Qrow's room and headed for the roof of the inn. She stared out past the city and to the mountains in the horizon, the wind blowing through her hair. She unwrapped Natsu's scarf from around her waist and held it close.

"Pyrrha?"

The melancholic warrior was soon joined by Ruby.

"Hello, Ruby." She said, wiping away the tears in the corners of her eyes. "Did you need something?"

"I just wanted to check on you. How are you holding up?"

"I could be better, but I will find a way to manage. This is all so overwhelming."

"Yeah. I know how you feel."

"What did you think of your Uncle's stories?"

"Honestly, I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it all. Gods. Maidens. Relics. None of it really makes any sense."

"I agree. It is a lot of information to accept blindly."

"But I do know one thing."

"What?"

"Natsu is alive, and he's in trouble." Ruby stated. "I don't know what Cinder or Salem or whoever did to him, but we're gonna get him back. Aren't we?"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. "Yes. We are. Thank you, Ruby."

"You can count us in too."

The rest of Team JNPR appeared on the roof, surprising the pair.

"How long have you all been there?" Pyrrha asked.

"We followed Ruby." Nora smiled.

"You didn't think you were gonna save Natsu without us did you?" Jaune asked with a confident grin.

"We're a team." Ren reminded with a grin of his own.

Pyrrha wiped a tear from her eye. "Yes. Thank you all so much."

As the group shared their first laugh in a long while, Raven watched them from a distance.

Perhaps they are the key to his salvation after all.

She cut open a portal and disappeared.


Yang leaned against the outside cabins as the ship sailed onward. After some soul-searching and a talk with her father, she ultimately decided to finally leave home and find Ruby.

It didn't take much convincing. Though she was ultimately unsure about her abilities, she confident enough to test them out in this dangerous new world. Armed with her freshly painted prosthetic and her trusty motorcycle she set out for Mistral with three things in hand: her boat ticket, a picture of Team STRQ given to her by her father, and the latest of Ruby's letters. Realizing she has some time to kill, she decided to give it a read.

Hey Sis,

I hope my letters have been reaching you and Dad. It's kind of hard to rely on this stuff nowadays, not that it was ever dependable in the first place but you get what I'm trying to say. If you haven't been getting them, I just wanted to apologize for just up and leaving the way I did. You told me that it was reckless, and after everything that's happened since I've left I can say that I agree. It's been really hard, for all of us, and not just because of the monsters we fought along the way.

Every step forward dragged us further away from what we knew. And every morning we wondered if what lie over the next hill was something good, or something terrible. It's scary not knowing what would happen next, but knowing what we know now almost makes it all worse.

You told me bad things just happen sometimes. You were angry and hurt when you said it so I didn't want to listen, but again you were right. That's why I'm out here, doing whatever I can wherever I can in the hopes that I can really do some good in the world.

All of us lost something, and that loss can do terrible things to people. We'd never see the beautiful things the future might have in store for us. We wouldn't have the strength to change; not ourselves nor the world around us. And we'd never be there for the people who would one day be lost without us.

That's why we trained to become Huntresses, Yang. So we could be the ones to stand up and challenge all the bad things in the world.

There are plenty of people out there who are still lost, some we used to call friend, and even more who will try to gain everything they can from that sorrow.

Believe me, Sis, I know it can feel impossible at times. There will be times where every day feels like a struggle against some unstoppable monster that we could never beat, but we have to try. If not for us then for the people we haven't lost yet.

I miss you so much. Weiss and Blake too. I think you'd be proud of me. We all made it Mistral. We even ran into Uncle Qrow on the way, but he's not the only one…

Yang raised a brow. "What's this?" For some reason the letter cut off in the middle of the sentence. She unfolded the paper the bottom third of the paper, seeing the rest of the sentence further down the page. The words she read next shook her to her core.

Natsu is alive.

Yang's spine shivered. "What?" she gasped. The letter continued.

I don't know how it's possible, but it's true. I saw him. We all did. He was right in front of me. I was so happy to see him I almost cried. It was like what happened at Beacon was just some nightmare that I finally woke up from, but I soon realized that some things you can't escape. Whoever this person was, he wasn't the Natsu we knew. Something is different about him. Something wrong.

He was a completely different person. He was violent and angry. He attacked us without restraint. He didn't recognize us at all, or even his own name. It was like someone erased everything that made him Natsu and replaced it with something dark and evil.

I don't why it happened, but I'm not going to let it continue. I'm going to find a way to save him, and I want you guys to be there with me when I do. Our friend is lost and we need to bring him back.

The first thing we're going to do is visit Professor Lionheart at Haven Academy. Uncle Qrow told us some things that I think you want to hear, things I can't put in this letter. Hopefully, you'll decide to join us and he can tell you himself. I know you need time for yourself before you come find me, but it would great if Team RWBY was able to get together again.

I'll leave the address to the inn were staying at in Mistral so you can find us if you decide to come. I hope to hear back from you and Dad. I'll be sure to tell all about what's going to happen next. Now that we're here, I really think things will start to turn around for us.

As soon as the ship reached the dock, Yang zoomed off on Bumblebee.

He can't be alive! It's impossible! People just don't come back to life!

She raced through the dead woods, taking a sharp right at the fork that would put her on the path to Mistral.


In an autumn colored office, a large mahogany desk sat in the middle, facing a circular bookshelf with a ladder against it. As the sun set in the distance, a silver tea set was placed on a table in the corner that was set up for guests.

In one of the chairs sat Arthur Watts. He delicately held one of the filled cups of tea, his feet propped up on the table as he took a sip.

"Thank you, Professor. My mistress always spoke highly of your hospitality."


The echoes of battle once again emanated from Salem's inner chamber. Cinder stood tall, having defeated the three Beowolves before her with relative ease. Control was starting to become natural to her.

She snapped her fingers, signaling Emerald – who was watching the scene along with Mercury – to step forward. The thief concentrated her Semblance, creating hallucinations of both Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos.

The two were on their knees, their bodies bloodied and their eyes begging for mercy as they reached out to Cinder.

Her anger rising at the sight of the one who disfigured and the one who stole the other half of her power, Cinder blasted the hallucinations with a wild stream of flames, her eye glowing with her Maiden's power.

Salem watched the display with a pleased grin.

In the lab, Fafnir rested next to Neopolitan's bedside. It had been a couple of days since he returned, and Neopolitan still had yet to wake up. Luckily her condition hadn't worsened thanks to Emerald checking on her.

Natsu!

The voice was followed by images of a battle between himself, Cinder, and Pyrrha Nikos, but something was off. For some reason he and Nikos were battling against Cinder. It was losing battle culminating by Cinder's arrow piercing his chest and killing him. As Fafnir felt the life drain from his body, he was suddenly back in time a few days before the fight.

He and Pyrrha Nikos were speaking in the middle of Vale before the Fall of Beacon. Another jump back and he was fighting alongside a black-haired girl and a monkey faunus against Roman Torchwick and a group of White Fang soldiers. He went even further back.

Every jump in time put him face to face with different people. He defended Velvet Scarlatina from bullies. He battled Lie Ren in an auditorium while spectators watched. He arm wrestled a girl with long blonde hair. He battled Qrow Branwen in the Beacon courtyard. He helped Ruby Rose stop a robbery. He saved a young Weiss Schnee from a Grimm when he was but a child. He travelled across the land with the masked woman from his dreams. He saw himself falling from the sky like a star.

The final thing he saw was a young man with black hair smiling at him from the other side of a pod.

"Hello, Natsu." He said.

Emerald's question returned to his ear.

Do you remember anything?

Natsu Dragneel awoke with a sharp gasp. His heart racing and his body breaking out in a cold sweat, he frantically looked around the medical lab. Nothing was familiar.

"Where am I?!"


Qrow tipped back his fifth glass of whiskey. Even though it had only been a few days he felt as if it had been years since he'd had a nice stiff drink.

"That's the best recovery money can buy. Another."

"Don't you think you've had enough?" the bartender asked.

"I'll let you know when I stop seeing double." Qrow tapped on his empty glass, prompting the bartender to sigh in resignation.

"Coming right up, sir."

As the bartender left to make Qrow's sixth round, someone entered the bar.

"Excuse me?"

Qrow turned around on his stool. Before him was a boy around the same age as his niece wearing overalls, dirty boots, and work gloves. He looked like he had just stepped off a tractor from the nearest cornfield.

"I'm not sure this place serves minors, kid."

The boy's arm started to move, but he held it in place. "I know. I'm doing it alright?" he said to himself.

Qrow raised a brow at the boy. It was clear he was a little bit on the crazy side.

The boy looked to Qrow. "I'm supposed to tell you…that I would like my cane back?"

Qrow's eyes slowly started to widen. He then grinned at the boy.

"Nice to see you again, Oz."

Qrow reached inside his jacket and tossed the boy Ozpin's compact cane. Oscar pressed the button on the top and it extended to the ground. His surprise then gave way to a look of determination.


Unbeknownst to the world at large, there is a secret facility - a lab to be more precise - hidden deep underneath Atlas Academy. Only accessible to those with the highest of security clearances. In this lab the Atlas military's strongest – as well as most dangerous – weapons were created.

Men and women in white trench coats paced back and forth, eagerly - and in some cases frightfully - discussing and running experiments on various projects that they believed would lead to the safety of not only Atlas, but all of Remnant.

The elevator leading out of the lab opened and out stepped General Ironwood, prompting everyone to stop working and salute.

"At ease." He said. "Please. Return to your work."

The scientists did just that without a second thought. The General was soon greeted by the lead scientist, Professor Apricot.

"General Ironwood, we've been expecting you. Welcome."

"Thank you, Professor. I've come to check on her. Is she ready?"

"Yes sir. Please follow me."

Ironwood followed Professor Apricot through the lab, scanning over the other projects around the lab.

"How are things progressing on the blood sample I gave you?"

"Faster than estimated, but there are still some difficulties handling the sample."

"What kind of difficulties?"

"Cloning the material proved ineffective so we're thinking of alternative methods for its use. Currently experimentation entails using the blood as a supplement to enhance the efficiency of our ground forces."

"Interesting. How long until we have a working prototype?"

"I'd say two weeks at the most."

"You have eight days."

The Professor nearly fell over. "E-eight days? But, sir that's-"

"Is that a problem?" The general's hardened glare, evaporated all of Apricot's protests.

"N-no, sir. Eight days it is."

"Good. Now where is she?"

"Right this way."

Apricot lead Ironwood into a room sequestered off from the rest of the lab. In this empty space there was a pod with numerous tubes plugged into it. Floating inside the bright green liquid that filled the pod was a girl with long, dark orange hair and pale white skin.

"Her OS is operating smoothly." Apricot said. "All of her motor functions are in the green, and she's passed all of the simulation combat tests."

"What about the bugs? Have they been ironed out?"

"Yes, sir. We salvaged all of the pertinent data from the remains of her old memory system and destroyed the rest. There should be no more problems."

"And the Gepetto System?"

"Operational for one minute before a recharge is required."

"We must find a way to extended that."

"Of course, sir. We're already working on it."

Ironwood placed his hand on the pod. "Activate her, Professor. I think it's time we see how she performs in the field."

"Yes, sir." Apricot pressed a button on his tablet and the cooling tubes started pulling out of the pod. As cool air from the tubes flooded the room, the liquid in the pod started to drain. Once it was gone the wires holding the girl gently let her down on and started unwrapping.

Apricot pressed another button and the girl awakened. Her eyes glowing a bright green, she looked ahead and stepped out of the pod, stopping in front of General Ironwood.

"Good Morning, P2." he said.

The robot girl stood at attention and saluted. "Salutations, General Ironwood."


Here it is! The final chapter of Volume 4 of Misplaced! It took a while to get here, but we made it.

I know this chapter was HUGE (I haven't done one this long in a while) but I felt it was necessary for the finale. I know a few of you wanted Natsu to instantly come back, but I felt that was more than a little cheesy. I had already planned this way in advance, so I really had no plans to make Natsu come back to his friends just yet. Don't worry it will come.

Also there is something else I'd like to say: Thank you guys for over 1000 reviews! I honestly never thought this story would be that popular, and I have all of you to thank for that. Hopefully this story can continue to be successful. So to commemorate this occasion I'd like to ask something:

What is your favorite thing about Misplaced? I mean a lot of you keep reading this for a reason so I just wanted to know what you like most about it.

Is it the story? The characters? Do you have a favorite moment? I'd love to know if you're willing to share.

Another thing. This story is going to go on hiatus for a little bit. I need to figure out more things going forward, so it will be a little before I come back to this. Most likely not until the middle of Volume 5 which starts in the fall so I probably won't post another chapter till near the end of the year...maybe.

All that being said leave a comment/review letting me know what you think, thanks for 1000+ reviews, and as always thanks for reading! :)